Tech Focuses on the Environment at CES 2020

Every year the tech industry comes together to premiere the latest products and innovations at the CES conference in Las Vegas. This year is no different, except for the fact that this year the industry is finally focusing on problems surrounding the environment, the climate, and the atmosphere. 2019 was a big year for environmental awareness and this is reflected in this year’s CES. Whether the company has environmental stability and sustainability as a fundamental aspect of its business or if they are simply trying to ensure that they will be a part of the future’s green economy, tech businesses everywhere are premiering new products and many new innovations were revealed at the conference. 

CES 2020

From the rise of Greta Thunberg as a teenage climate activist to the propagation of reports warning that if we don’t act, we could be heading towards a future that is very different from the one we’ve envisioned. 2019 was a year of environmental worries and action. It is no surprise then that this year’s CES technology conference would focus on products making the world a more sustainable place. The panelists speaking at this year’s CES, including Malta CEO Ramya Swaminathan, shared dire sentiments that the wildlife of the planet is in danger. 

There needs to be a huge shift in not only the way we talk about green energy and environmentally-friendly solutions to the carbon in the atmosphere, there needs to be big changes in our actions. Solar, wind, hydro, and other forms of energy need to become cheaper, and the products showed at this year’s CES reflected this need. Finally, by popular demand, big tech is responding to the need for these products. After all, technology is our biggest hope to innovate our energy system and work towards a more sustainable ways to power our lives. 

Products Premiered at CES

This year many products were premiered, and many of them had to do with green energy, environmental sustainability, and removing carbon from the atmosphere. The company Living Packets showed a box that is made of recycled plastic and E-ink screens that display the address label and postage of where a package is headed. They say that this can contribute both to reducing plastic waste and save trees. The box has an internal system made of mesh that gets rid of the need for bubble wrap and other wasteful packing materials. All of these boxes can be recycled. Living Packets plans to refurbish and recirculate them, making the company a big player in the future of packing and sending boxes. 

There are also companies focusing on the water crisis. Clean water is hard to come by and future projections show that it will become scarcer as time goes on. The NYC-based company Rocean is focused on reducing our reliance on bottled water. Their new system filters, carbonates, and even flavors local tap water. Zero Mass Water, a company from Arizona, is also focused on water. This year they returned to CES with the new version of their Source Hydropanel generator called the Rexi. According to the specialists at MoneyPug, a site used to make an energy switch, this downsized version of the generator sits on a roof, using solar energy to pull moisture from the air. This produces fresh drinking water and could cut down on the costs of water in the home and in businesses. 

Finally, Oxicool is a company with big ambitions. They are trying to revolutionize air conditioning with a system that keeps homes cool with just water. They claim that it will reduce electricity consumption by 90 percent. Oxicool also says that their air conditioning system is fully recyclable and so clean that the water is drinkable. 

Technology is likely the way we will revolutionize our whole energy industry, just like Oxicool hopes to forever change air conditioning. With such grand climate and environmental issues, innovations in the industry will help everyone live in a more sustainable world. Climate change and the human consequences on our planet are finally coming to the forefront and it will be interesting to see how everything will change as time moves ahead. Now is the time to act and it seems like people, politicians, and companies are realizing it.

Photo credit:  “CES®”